A cut-price, brain-power-improving “product” marketed as “Einstein’s brain” which is bizarrely instilling confidence and joy in those who buy it has gone viral in China.

People on the online shopping platform Taobao said potential customers are told that after they pay a nominal fee they will develop a brain like the famous, German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, according to the Yangtze Evening News.

“Our product is virtual. After you pay for it, what you need to do is to wait to become smart. Usually after one night’s sleep you will find the Einstein brain has already grown in your head,” an advertisement for the product says.

Taobao, the mainland’s leading shopping website, is owned by the Alibaba Group which also owns the South China Morning Post.

More than 20,000 customers have bought the “brain”, which is being sold with an image of Einstein. Prices range from just 0.1 to one yuan (65sen).

“It’s very effective. When I took a test after buying it, I found I could solve all the problems in the examination,” one customer said.

“You can regard it as a psychological comfort or a belief,” said another.

However, many people ridiculed it.

“After buying, I realised I was silly before. So as expected, I became clever,” wrote one person.

“It’s useful. I can now easily solve addition and subtraction problems involving numbers below 10,” quipped another.

Another online observer’s comment went further saying: “I am glad to announce that I am researching the theory of controlled nuclear fusion.”

Chen Zhilin, a Chongqing-based psychological consultant, described “Einstein’s brain” as a product designed to comfort, adjust or manage one’s emotions.

“If you believe you have the same wisdom as Einstein and you bring the confidence and pleasure of doing so to the examination hall, you will score better than usual,” Chen told the newspaper.

“It doesn’t cost much but can bring joy and satisfaction. In a fast-paced society, this kind of simple and low-cost emotional experience has become a way to relax and have fun,” he added.

In recent years, a range of weird products have emerged and been embraced by young people in China.

One is a chat support service for people who suffer from so-called “love brain”, a condition which fixates them on romance.

Another is “student toilet paper”, a bathroom tissue product on which academic subject matter is printed in the hope students will peruse it as they relieve themselves.

 - SCMP